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Simply stated, social media has changed the way we communicate during disasters. This is now abundantly clear with all of the online activity surrounding the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Over the past couple weeks, there has been a tremendous outpouring of support for the Haitian people. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy donations have exceeded $470 million!

Mobile giving raises the bar

A large portion of donations are coming from The Red Cross’ mobile phone texting campaign. With partners Mobile Accord and the mGive Foundation, Red Cross quickly enacted a mobile texting campaign shortly after the earthquake hit. And with the help of the NFL playoff game spots and other widespread promotions, mobile phone users have donated over $25 million thus far just by texting “90999!” According to this NY Times story, over $500,000 per hour was donated to the Red Cross during recent NFL games. And according to Pew and Twitter-tracking service Sysomos, 189,024 tweets included “90999″ between January 12^th and 14^th. 2.3 million included the word “Haiti” or “Red Cross” in this same time frame. Truly unbelievable!

Relying on social media and citizen journalists

Not only has social media been used to gather donations, but people on the ground in Haiti have used Facebook and Twitter to send updates/photos, while concerned onlookers tune in to the constant stream of updates. In addition, news outlets have relied on social media and “citizen journalists” in their reporting. For example, CNN started a “Haiti Boots On Ground” Twitter list, compiling updates from the CNN reporters on the ground.  CNN’s iReport has also played a key role in their coverage of the disaster.

And companies have rallied to develop mobile apps and websites dedicated to the cause, such as a Creole-to-English translator app .  An organization called “The Extraordinaries” which allows people to complete micro-tasks for organizations or causes, using a mobile phone or web browser in a few minutes, have set up a support page at http://www.beextra.org/haiti to leverage the “power of the crowd” to help locate and identify missing persons.

Our best wishes to the Haitian people and to all of the families affected by the earthquake. Stay strong.

Filed under: Cause-Related, Internet, Media and Press, Mobile Industry, Social Media by EliciaBasoli - 5 Comments →

Part two of two in our year-end social media recap touches on the more serious side of our evolving online landscape. We hope you enjoy! Let’s get started…

5.  Newspapers Move to Online-Only, Embrace Social Media Back in September, 360PR’s own John LeRoy wrote about the end of the Ann Arbor News’ print publication, and throughout 2009, many newspapers followed suit, moving to publishing their content strictly online and incorporating social media functionality.  Along with the recession came widespread newsroom cuts, and while many papers folded altogether, others can only be found now by visiting the web. Whether you embrace the change or miss the sound of a daily paper landing on your doorstep, the move to online-only is here.

4.  Rise of Mobile Apps If you’re an iPhone lover or a Blackberry devotee, you can’t deny the ease and convenience the downloadable applications that are essential to these smart phones bring.  With the click of a key or the touch of an icon, you can find the nearest gas station, read restaurant recommendations, check out times for movie showings, and much, MUCH more.  Running late for the airport?  There’s an app. that allows you to check the status of your flight. 

3.  Live Stream Presidential Inauguration Not only did 2009 see a new, African-American president in the White House, America saw his inauguration unfold in real-time online.  Courtesy of CNN, those unable to obtain a ticket to the inauguration were able to watch every second from the comfort of their own home.  January 20, 2009 was an extremely historic day in more ways than one.

2.  Moms Online  Nielsen recognized the power of moms’ online presence and released “The Power Mom 50,” 50 of the most influential moms on the ‘net (though Nielsen’s list left off some biggies), and the FTC implemented new rules guiding interactions between brands and bloggers (largely driven by the increase of sponsored content on mom blogs).  Meanwhile, Oprah recognized the importance of moms online when she Skype’d in mom bloggers from across the country in an April episode ‘The Secret Lives of Moms.’ 

1.  Brands and Social Media If you’re a Facebook or Twitter user, you’re likely connected with a few brands online. Jet Blue (@JetBlue,) Comcast (@comcastcares) and Whole Foods (@wholefoods) were among the most followed on Twitter this year.  Top brands on Facebook included Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Disney. But with more brands competing for valuable online space, it will be tricky breaking through the clutter. Starting with a solid fan base will help, but providing the online community with “insider” knowledge and unique insights is what will really make a brand stand out in 2010.

Happy New Year!

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Internet, Marketing to Moms, Media and Press, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

Well, 2009 is nearly over and 360PR certainly was not going to miss out on the “year end list” fun!  We decided to compile our Top 10 Favorite Social Media Moments of 2009. Sure, the topic may be slightly played out, but does that make it any less important?  2009 concluded a decade of digital innovations: the iPod, BlackBerry, consumer GPS system, etc. And in our eyes, it most definitely went out with a bang!

So here they are, numbers 10 - 6 in our countdown, part one of a two-part social media extravaganza. Whether you think our choices are spot on or off-base, we’d love to hear your comments!

10. Burger King Whopper Sacrifice This year, Burger King challenged its fans to the ultimate test-delete 10 friends on Facebook, get a free Whopper-and created a slew of online buzz in its wake. Alerts popped up on mini-feeds everywhere (i.e. “Skye McIntyre sacrificed Lindsay Durr for a free Whopper”) and friends’ lists suffered significant depletions. But BK’s plan worked! Whether quirky, offensive, or just hilarious, the Whopper Sacrifice taught us all a valuable lesson-you can put a price on friendship, and that price is 1 Whopper.

9. Miley Cyrus Deletes Twitter On a more serious note, teen queen Miley Cyrus made headline news this year when she deleted her Twitter account. Outlets like The New York Times covered the “news” and, to respond to the public outrage inspired by her de-tweeting, Cyrus created this brilliant YouTube video. Wait-why is this #9, again?

8. “JK Wedding Dance” on YouTube This was probably the feel-good YouTube video of the decade. Something about this video struck a chord with online video watchers nationwide. In a year where everyone from Jon and Kate to Tiger and Elin headed for their attorneys, Jill and Kevin Heinz reminded us that love is out there, waiting, and it’s on YouTube. Several Today Show appearances and a hilarious Office spoof later, J&K are still going strong. They even used their tremendous popularity for a good cause; the pair helped raise over $26,000 for the Sheila Wellstone Institute, an organization that helps victims of domestic violence.  People questioned the authenticity of the video and wondered if a marketing team was behind it; marketers wished they could take credit.

7. Swine Flu Infects Social Media Swine Flu was one of the most serious topics of the year with an estimated 50 million cases in the US according to the CDC. However, the disease really went viral when concerned citizens began discussing it across Facebook and Twitter. According to Mashable, swine flu was the #3 topic trend on Facebook and the #2 and #6 trends on Twitter in 2009. For those who think Facebook and Twitter are only platforms for trivial discussions, think again.

6. Celebs on Twitter Want to be alerted every time Diddy sips Cristal? Well now you can-thanks to Twitter! Everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Oprah Winfrey to Shaq started microblogging this year, some more successfully than others (we’re looking at you, Shaq). Missed out on the celeb tweeting action? Check out CelebrityTweet.com to get all the latest updates in one place.

Filed under: Digital PR, Internet, Media and Press, Social Media by LindsayDurr - 2 Comments →

In honor of Sesame Street’s 40th anniversary in 2009, I thought I’d cap off the year with the Letter of the Day - make that Letter of the Year.  By my guestimation, the letter E was the hardest working letter in the alphabet in 2009 - used in ads, on packaging and in press releases countless times as marketers described their products as having “eco” qualities or making our lives ”easy,” or used “e” to indicate “electronic.”   No doubt D, G and O ranked high as well, for Digital, Green and Obama.

What were some of the other trends in 2009?  Many of us will remember ‘09 as the year of the budget.  The way we talk to consumers (mass-market consumers anyway) has forever changed.  Features are nice, but price was the deciding factor for most in 2009, and marketers worked hard to cast price in the broader context of “value.”

There’s no arguing with features that don’t cost much, in some cases are free, and make our daily routines easier.  For that reason, 2009 was also the year of the app.  Is there anything we cannot do a little better or faster today without the help of an iPhone (or Blackberry) app?  There’s even a site dedicated to apps for moms, The iPhone Mom.

In 2009, the world - or at least a good 40 million of us - learned to think in headlines, something marketers have always been good at.  Twitter opened the floodgate on one-liners, and personalities like Heather Armstrong (Dooce) and Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh amassed audiences rivaling some magazines and double, triple, ten-fold the readership of many newspapers.

Meanwhile, The New York Times cut nearly 10% of its staff, while several magazines - some still thick with ads like Gourmet and Cookie - turned their last pages.  With traditional media on the run, bloggers took center stage and the FTC took notice, with new rules guiding interactions between marketers and bloggers.  Those who attended the swag-fest that was BlogHer ‘09 welcome the formalized rules, a sign blogs are graduating from their teen years to a more mature media channel.

Perhaps least interesting to me in 2009 were the so-called “news” stories that dominated airwaves (and Twitter and Facebook), like “Balloon Boy” and “Kate and Jon,” so painfully familiar to us they don’t need last names.  Those were two of The Today Show’s “Top 10 stories of 2009″ over the weekend, a list I imagine was developed purely for ratings.  I hope.

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Events and Conferences, Media and Press, Social Media by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

It’s September and summer vacation’s clearly over.  Most of us have it engrained from the day we start kindergarten, backpacks on and lunchboxes in hand, that September means business.  This September’s no exception - and we’re thankful for that.

In one week at 360, we’ve had three client events spanning a range of product categories:  an event to introduce Stonyfield Farm’s YoBaby Meals featuring Stonyfield CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg and Boston Mama’s Christine Koh; a car seat safety briefing by Dorel Juvenile Group at the ABC KIDS Expo (#abckids on Twitter); and, a Snuggie fashion show during Fashion Week emceed by Ross “The Intern” Mathews from The Tonight Show.

A model wears one of the new Snuggie designs on the runway during Fall Fashion Week in New York.

We have two more events and multiple tours still to come this month, and we’re just one agency.  Multiply that by hundreds of agencies and brands with launches planned in September.  Imagine being a reporter or blogger on the receiving end of it all?  In fact, we’re hearing from bloggers that they’re being inundated with invitations – increasingly, it’s gotta be something pretty special to pull them out these days.

And at ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, editors from the leading parenting books were moving at a rapid clip, covering more ground with fewer staff.  Some were breathless.  It was interesting to see traditional media outnumbered by bloggers, and refreshing to see marketers spending after a cautious start to the year.

If September’s any indication, it’s going to be a noisy fall.  And it seems consumers are finally ready to listen – especially if the price is right!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Consumer Marketing, Events and Conferences, Media and Press, PR Industry by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

This week, the 360PR team took on Vegas for the 7^th annual ABC Kids Expo.  This year was my first trip to the show, and I was overwhelmed with the sheer magnitude of juvenile product companies exhibiting.  Anything you think a baby or parent-to-be would need/want was there…and then some!  Stainless steel baby bottles, eco-friendly cloth diapers, and multitudes of edgy, cool baby furniture were just some of the many highlights. 

It’s always a blast to look at the latest designs and fashions for baby (everything is just too darn cute!); however, the most important feature when little ones are concerned is always safety.  

The timing for ABC Expo was perfect, as Saturday kicked off National Child Passenger Safety Week, which is a nationwide effort sponsored by NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).  To start the week, car seat check events were held throughout the nation on Saturday.  I was lucky enough to attend a local event sponsored by Safe Kids.  I met the inspiring and dedicated folks behind Safe Kids, including the Training Manager and Technical Advisor, Lorrie Walker (pictured below).  Safe Kids reports that a whopping 4 out of 5 car seats are installed incorrectly. 

The theme of child safety continued, as we held a car seat safety briefing at the Safety 1^st booth at ABC Kids Expo.  The panel discussed the danger of side impact crashes for children and new innovations in testing methods and technology to protect our kids on the road.  We had a great turn-out - including top-notch editors, bloggers and industry advocates.  This briefing also caught the attention of NBC Las Vegas, as they broadcasted live from our booth to report on the Safety 1^st Air Protect Side Impact Technology for their morning show - which meant a 3AM wake-up call for me.  In true Vegas fashion, the streets were bustling at that hour anyway!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations, Media and Press, Parenting by BrittanyWelch - 1 Comment →

So I’m just a wee bit late in the game with this post.  Hey, we’re busy with client work, a good thing right?  The New York Times published an article over the holiday weekend, Spinning the Web:  P.R. in Silicon Valley.

While some in the PR industry scoffed at the article (read Edelman’s rebuttal), there was at least an element of truth and a lesson or two to be learned by reading about the galavants (including bikini-clad client meetings) of Silicon Valley publicists.  Plus, let’s be honest, it was a fun, lighten-up, summertime read.

So here’s the true part:  PR is still about relationships.  That’s true whether dealing with influencers online or off, and it’s one of the reasons why PR practitioners are better equipped to lead brands into social media than other specialists who focus on transaction-based marketing.

There’s no denying the powerful combination of relationships + social media in the successful launch of Wordnik.   But it’s not simply ‘who you know.’  The nature and quality of the relationship is key.  How deep does the relationship run?  Is it truly two-way and built on mutual respect?  Will it last over time?

The Edelman blog brought to light another important point:  to reap the benefits of a sustained PR effort, you need a strategic approach, not just a whisper in so-and-so’s ear.

Filed under: Media and Press, PR Industry by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

I got a sneak-peek at Frontline’s Digital Nation:  Life on the Virtual Frontier the other night at WGBH-TV.  There were about 30 or so of us in the audience - a collection of mom and dad bloggers, including MommyBytes, MoreThanMommy, Bostonmamas, ManicMommies and DigitalDads, and educators from Boston Public Schools and beyond.

I think a better title might be Digital World, but “Nation” seems to fit since the documentary is being produced in a city that thinks of itself as a nation, e.g., Red Sox Nation, Patriot Nation, etc.  Back to the preview…

Digital Nation, set to debut in Winter 2010 on PBS, aims to be “a multiplatform exploration of what it means to be human in a wired world.”  Producer Rachel Dretzin, whose credits include the PBS series “Growing Up Online,” which covered cyber-bullying among other topics, started the preview by pointing to Digital Nation’s web site and blog.  One of the cool things about Digital Nation is getting to see it as work in progress. Chapter 2 is currently up online and focuses on the military’s use of digital  media - very cool indeed.  You can also upload your own digital story on Digital Nation’s blog.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Internet, Media and Press, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

Though I think I speak for most, if not all of the 360PR staff when I say we could use at least 5 more hours in every day, we’ve managed to find time to comb through our inboxes, RSS feeds and favorite sites to bring you a few of this week’s best articles on social media. The links below will provide insight on how women spend their time online, how Twitter is becoming easier to track and how Target is doing good by giving back.

Mashable “Social Media Giving: Target’s Smart Facebook Campaign” - Working in PR, stories of brands getting it wrong using social media spread like wild fire.  Target’s “Bullseye Gives” campaign on Facebook is an inspiring study of a brand getting it right.

TwiTip “Brand Monitoring in Twitter: BackTweets Allows you to Linking Activity” - Several services allow you to track Twitter conversation by searching for key words and hash tags.  But how do you know who’s linking to your client, cause, or brand?  Introducing Backtweets, the newest way to keep on top of what all the buzz is about.

Marketing VOX “Women Use Blogs for Info, SocNets to Connect” - It’s not surprising that women go online in search of information, but there is more to this subject than meets the eye.   BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners combined their savvy and recently released results from their 2009 Women in Social Media Study.  Though the results likely won’t shock you, it’s an important read for anyone trying to reach the female demographic.

Filed under: Boston, Internet, Media and Press, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

It must be surreal to be a newspaper editor these days, having to cover your own demise.  Yesterday’s Boston Globe led with a feature on the Times Co.’s plans to potentially shut it down.  But as I thumbed through the still-thick sections of my Sunday Globe, reading comfortably in a recliner instead of hunched over my computer (my Monday-Friday news-consuming mode), I earnestly hoped for the future of the Sunday paper.

Much of the traditional publishers’ woes have been blamed on the digital generation who, for the most part, have demonstrated an adversity to the print medium.  For us "more mature" readers, the issue is perhaps more a lack of time.  Reading the paper page by page doesn’t fit my Monday-Friday schedule or needs.  For better — and sometimes worse – I rely on RSS feeds, Google News , Twitter and other more immediate, key word-driven sources.

I think there is a place for paper — on Sundays and at the most local level.  The community weekly paper distinguishes itself by offering something I haven’t seen done as well online (yet).  I look forward to flipping through the three weeklies in my neighborhood, cover to cover, reading about this neighbor and that school and finding out what events are coming to town.  I also pay attention to local merchants’ ads.

The big dailies face a more difficult landscape.  Ad revenues are down and not coming back.   Online, they can’t simply convert to a paid model overnight.  But hybrid models are catching on online, where some premium features are offered alongside free, ad-supported content.

What I’m really interested to see from content powerhouses, which the dailies are, are new products and platforms of delivery.  A Blackberry edition of the Globe, for example, would be extremely useful to me Monday-Friday.  I’d also be willing to pay for more immediate or expanded access.

It’s easy to look backward and doom an industy for "missing the boat."  It’s far less easy to innovate.  This week, 10 publishing veterans share their vision for the newspaper of the future in "Don’t Stop the Presses," a new cover story from, who else?,  the Newspaper Association of America .

Filed under: Boston, Media and Press by LauraTomasetti - 2 Comments →

Yes, you read that correctly - the recession (the dreaded ‘R’ word that seems to come up more times in any given day than we can stand) can suck it. So say the folks at Mekanism who led a crowd-pleasing, laughter-induced presentation to a ballroom full of marketing and PR professionals at the fourth annual MI6 conference last week.

Some of the fun game industry facts that were presented on just how the recession can suck it included the following highlights from 2008:

• Dance Dance Revolution was incorporated into 765 physical education classes around the U.S.
• World of Warcraft (and, believe me, I hate including this as we represent arguably, the #2 most successful MMO, The Lord of the Rings Online ) announced 8.5 Billion (yes Billion with a capital B) guests since launch in 2004
• 26% of Americans over 50 years old played games in 2008, up from 9% in 1999 (and I, for one, can back this up with my parents actually asking to play Wii games at my house over Easter weekend)
• 100 Million Sims games sold, making it the most successful PC franchise of all time
• And, finally, playing games, according to 32% British males, is better than sex (and that number jumps to 72% when sex is compared with a new game release). Yes, you read that correctly.

Couple these stats with the cold hard cash earnings from leading games retailer, GameStop, which recently touted an increase of 22.4% in Q4 sales, along with the fact that the industry reported record growth 11 out of 12 months last year (as reported by the US President of Future publishing in his opening address), and maybe we’re onto something here.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Events and Conferences, Media and Press, Social Media, Video Games by StaceyClement - 1 Comment →

With millions of blogs in the blogosphere, it wasn’t a huge shock (note: sarcastic tone) that the 360PR Blog didn’t make it to TIME’s Best Blogs of 2009 list. As much as the team enjoys posting to our own blog, we revel in reading a variety of other blogs on a daily basis. So, while we didn’t make it to the list, it was great to see that some of our favorite blogs did. Below is the full list with links to TIME’s description of each:

TIME’s Top 25 Blogs of 2009: 

• Talking Points Memo
• The Huffington Post
• Lifehacker
• Metafilter
• The Daily Dish by Andrew Sullivan
• Freakonomics
• BoingBoing
• Got2BeGreen
• Zen Habits
• The Conscience of a Liberal: Paul Krugman
• Crooks and Liars
• Generación Y
• Mashable
• Slashfood
• Official Google Blog
• synthesis
• bleat
• /Film
• Seth Godin’s Blog
• Deadspin: Sports News without Access, Favor, or Discretion
• Dooce
• Confessions of a Pioneer Woman
• Said the Gramophone
• Detention Slip
• Bad Astronomy

It may be in the print version and just not on TIME.com, but it would have been great to see an explanation of what the editors were looking for when determining the top blogs. They’ve clearly chosen blogs with a lot of traffic, but I wonder how deeply elements such as community/comments and uniqueness were considered compared to other factors? I also wonder how many editors were involved in determining the list? Was it a collaborative effort?

Filed under: Media and Press, Social Media by EliciaBasoli - 1 Comment →

Kudos to MillerCoors for leveraging the “economic crisis” to their advantage in a smart, tasteful, 1-second ad during the Super Bowl for its Miller High Life brand. If you have yet to catch a glimpse of this fleeting spot, you can do so on the web – though keep in mind that outside the context of the Super Bowl’s extravagance, the wit and message may be lost.

With companies like Coke, Pepsi, GoDaddy.com, and Frito-Lay’s Doritos paying $3 million for 30-second ads (not to mention competitor Bud Light brewer Anheuser-Busch’s seven game-time spots), the Miller High Life ad is more a subtle economic statement than a frugal budget decision.

Based on the buzz on Twitter, which accounted for 67% of the online reaction to the Miller High Life ad, the ad was a huge success, transcending the gratuitous violence and disdain for corporate America that permeated other ads. The 1-second ad’s implied restraint created synergy with the High Life brand, sending a clear message the company had taken the “higher road.”

In a company press release, High Life senior brand manager Kevin Oglesby confirms that the commercial was in fact a strategic move: “Just like our consumers, High Life strives to make smart choices. One second should be plenty of time to remind viewers that Miller High Life is common sense in a bottle.”

While the fiscally-prudent card is an easy one to throw down in today’s climate, is it truly altruistic or more opportunistic?

Furthermore, what effect does this have on the advertising industry - especially if brewing companies with deeper pockets (compared to the auto industry) are scaling back?

You be the judge: In New York alone, media companies account for more than 160,000 jobs and $15 billion in wages.

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Media and Press, PR Industry by MikeRush - 6 Comments →

There are some bright spots in the marketing sphere in 2009, according to Ad Age.  PR is one of them.  Sure, they focus on crisis PR and public affairs (it’s a good time to dust off that crisis plan, or get one if you don’t have one).

But the article also suggests that some marketers may favor PR in 2009 over traditional advertising.  PR has a real opportunity in the area of social media, in particular.  Let’s face it, social media is about relationships, so who better than PR people to manage a brand’s foray into social media?

In any case, nice to read about the “bright spots” for a change.

Filed under: Media and Press, PR Industry by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

I was catching up on reading over the holidays (which seem like forever ago), and came across this really useful post from CopyBlogger:  27 Common Misused Words.  I got the first few right…and read on hopefully (I hope I’ve used hopefully correctly).

CopyBlogger adeptly clarifies for us when to use farther and not further, premier and not premiere, who and whom…and the list goes on.  While I fared pretty well, I’m not telling which blog posts I’m going back to edit.  Thankfully I can correct the past online.  I’d never make it as a print journalist.  Just think of the finality of your words - oh, the pressure!

“I’m a good writer” is the phrase I’ve heard most often in interviews with candidates embarking on (or continuing) their PR career.  But CopyBlogger’s post is a reminder of how often words are misused.  You can’t rely on spellcheck for everything, and in PR words count.

Filed under: Media and Press, PR Industry, Pitch tips by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →